WHICH SANCTUARY IS CLEANSED AND WHAT POLLUTED IT?

DOES THE WORD"CLEANSING"SPOKEN OF IN DANIEL 8:14 REFER TO A CLEANSING OF THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY?IF SO,WHAT POLLUTED IT?

Though the sanctuary in heaven and the one on earth are in two different locations,yet the one necessarily involves the other,for both deal w/ the same sin and sinners.Hence,for one sanctuary to become polluted will as a consequence affect the other.For instance,if some of the members of the church on earth should backslide after once being converted(as did Achan,King Saul,Judas,Ananias and Sapphira,and many others whose names were once written in the Book of Life but who through failing to continue in the faith became unworthy of life eternal),they would of course at the same time pollute both sanctuaries.The earthly they pollute by their actual deeds and influence;the heavenly ,by having their unworthy names in its books;for while the earthly sanctuary harbors the people,the heavenly houses their records.
So while there is need of cleansing the earthly sanctuary from backsliders and hypocrites,there is need of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sinner's names in its books.And the proper term for such a work is Investigative Judgment-the work portrayed in Daniel's prophecy (Dan.7:9,10)and in Christ's parable of the harvest,net,talents,wedding garment,and the goats and the sheep.
However,as the bible plainly teaches that this special work takes place only once during probationary time(Heb.9:26,)it follows that the record of those who died throughout the centuries will be the first to pass in review before God,the Great Judge(Dan.7:9,10).After these have been examined,then the examination of the records of the living will begin.And as we are told that there are two classes of people in the church("wheat" and "tares"-Matt.13:30),it is evident that the Investigative Judgment ("harvest") of the dead affects only the heavenly sanctuary.This is doubly evident when it is remembered that"the dead know not anything"(Eccles.9:5) but are lying unconscious while waiting in their graves for the resurrection day.But when the Judgment ("harvest") of the living shall begin,then of necessity the sanctuary on earth will be cleansed from the hypocrites,and the sanctuary in heaven from their names in its records.Both sanctuaries are therefore both affected.The cleansing of the earthly is further borne out by Malachi's prophecy:
"Behold, I will send My messenger,and he shall prepare the way before Me:and the Lord,Whom ye seek,shall suddenly come to His temple,even the messenger of the covenant,whom ye delight in:behold,He shall come,saith the Lord of hosts.But who may abide the day of His coming?And who shall stand when He appeareth?
For He is like a refiner's fire,and like fuller's soap:and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:and He shall purify the sons of Levi,and purge them as gold and silver,that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."Mal.3:1-3.
Furthermore,the treading underfoot of both the sanctuary and the host,and the casting "down the truth to the ground,"projected in Dan.8:12,must also be considered.By substituting a pagan priesthood for the priesthood of Christ,and unconverted pagans for the host of God,also by introducing a pagan festal day in place of God's Sabbath,not only both the heavenly and the earthly sanctuaries but also the doctrines were polluted.So while the two sanctuaries are being cleansed from sinners,Bible Truth is being winnowed from man's theories and ideas.

Replies to This Discussion

Hi, What you are saying is correct. I would like to point out that there might be other defilements to consider. Even those in a saving relationship with Jesus stumble from time to time. These sins are on the books in heaven. Also the past sins of the saved are on the books as well. As for the earthly sanctuary, I agree that it is God's people as a group and each individual is a sanctuary as well. We need to have God's law of love written on our hearts and minds. We need to be purified of every besetting sin. As part of this process, we also need to be cleansed from wrong ideas about our loving God. Jesus came to reveal the Father. But many say his revelation was partial or incomplete, only revealing the mercy side of God. This is blasphemy, and contrary to the word of God. Jesus said that if you have seen Me you have seen the Father. Let us truly see Jesus as the Bible reveals Him, and seek to be like Him that we may be fitted to receive the latter rain and be used by God to finish the harvest so that we can go be with Jesus.

Many thanks for your reply to this topic brother.I thought no one reads my share here in the discussion.
And i meant sins in the general term.Because if even one sin committed in the past not pardoned,satan will use that against us.He will accuse us and use that against us to be blocked to our entry in the kingdom.So,while still on probationary time...whenever the Holy Spirit remind us of such sins...we should ask forgiveness for them...so our record will be cleared of unpardoned sins.

I want to respond to Loren's as this is where the righteousness of Jesus comes in. We can have all the doctrines we want to understand but if we have not accepted Jesus as our Saviour, the doctrines will be as tinkling brass 1Cor.13:2

When we look at the heavenly sanctuary Dan.8:14, surely we are aware that as Jesus entered the Most Holy, the Investigative Judgment of the Dead started, but didn't end in 1844, if so, what is happening with the dead since then?! The same thing is taking place to our day as there are people dying as we continue to live. The fact is that the judgment of the living is also going on as people are currently accepting Jesus into their lives, therefore they are judging themselves that they be not judged 1Cor.11:31.

Judging self, knowing that Jesus is Master, there is no record of sins written in heaven of the saved. Should we do something wrong, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ! God knows we have a carnal nature, therefore we are also covered in this way as we are abiding in Jesus. The fact that the publican asked God to have mercy, he recognized he is a filthy rag, this is the carnal nature, though we hate it and love the spiritual nature, we still have the carnal nature otherwise we couldn't be tempted! All of this is covered as we are a branch connected to the Vine, Jesus!

You have a very scary belief if you think that the sins that you commit today are written in heaven, this would mean, that you don't have Jesus next to your name in the book of life, if you have sins next to your name, then Jesus isn't covering you as He covers everything in our past and present. The process of sanctification is because we love to obey God, not to be saved, but because we are saved, we glory in Jesus Christ as our Saviour! This is the righteousness of Jesus!

The second part of your paragraph is ideal. Being purified of besetting sins is sanctification, we love to grow because we are saved, not to be saved. When we are resistant to sanctification or chastisement, that's when we need to search our hearts and pray to God to ask Him if what we are reproved upon is correct. Once we do this, we are regaining our willingness to respond to correction, if we continue to resist, Jesus will one day say, I never knew you, therefore we never accepted Him in the first place as He never knew us, this is why change is so loved by the Christian, we are truly His and have no sins next to our name. God looks at Jesus in us, not us, as Jesus is our righteousness! Much more could be said in this explanation, I have a study on perfection for anyone to peruse!

I BET TO DIFFER WITH YOU ON THIS SUBJECT, OF COURSE EVERY SIN COMMIT TODAY IS RECORED IN HEAVEN. IF IT IS CONFESS AND REPENTED OF,THEN IT IS BLOTTED OUT. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS ... “A book of remembrance” is written before God, in which are recorded the good deeds of “them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name.” Malachi 3:16. Their words of faith, their acts of love, are registered in heaven. Nehemiah refers to this when he says: “Remember me, O my God, . . . and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God.” Nehemiah 13:14. In the book of God’s remembrance every deed of righteousness is immortalized. There every temptation resisted, every evil overcome, every word of tender pity expressed, is faithfully chronicled. And every act of sacrifice, every suffering and sorrow endured for Christ’s sake, is recorded. Says the psalmist: “Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?” Psalm 56:8.
There is a record also of the sins of men. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Says the Saviour: “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36, 37. The secret purposes and motives appear in the unerring register; for God “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” 1 Corinthians 4:5. “Behold, it is written before Me, . . . your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 65:6, 7.
Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, and every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.
The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgment. Says the wise man: “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. The apostle James admonishes his brethren: “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:12
Those who in the judgment are “accounted worthy” will have a part in the resurrection of the just. Jesus said: “They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, . . . are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:35, 36. And again He declares that “they that have done good” shall come forth “unto the resurrection of life.” John 5:29. The righteous dead will not be raised until after the judgment at which they are accounted worthy of “the resurrection of life.” Hence they will not be present in person at the tribunal when their records are examined and their cases decided.
Jesus will appear as their advocate, to plead in their behalf before God. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 9:24; 7:25.
As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living. Every name is mentioned, every case closely investigated. Names are accepted, names rejected. When any have sins remaining upon the books of record, unrepented of and unforgiven, their names will be blotted out of the book of life, and the record of their good deeds will be erased from the book of God’s remembrance. The Lord declared to Moses: “Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.” Exodus 32:33. And says the prophet Ezekiel: “When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, . . . all his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned.” Ezekiel 18:24.
All who have truly repented of sin, and by faith claimed the blood of Christ as their atoning sacrifice, have had pardon entered against their names in the books of heaven; as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life. The Lord declares, by the prophet Isaiah: “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. Said Jesus: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.” “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” Revelation 3:5; Matthew 10:32, 33.
The deepest interest manifested among men in the decisions of earthly tribunals but faintly represents the interest evinced in the heavenly courts when the names entered in the book of life come up in review before the Judge of all the earth. The divine Intercessor presents the plea that all who have overcome through faith in His blood be forgiven their transgressions, that they be restored to their Eden home, and crowned as joint heirs with Himself to “the first dominion.” Micah 4:8. Satan in his efforts to deceive and tempt our race had thought to frustrate the divine plan in man’s creation; but Christ now asks that this plan be carried into effect as if man had never fallen. He asks for His people not only pardon and justification, full and complete, but a share in His glory and a seat upon His throne.
While Jesus is pleading for the subjects of His grace, Satan accuses them before God as transgressors. The great deceiver has sought to lead them into skepticism, to cause them to lose confidence in God, to separate themselves from His love, and to break His law. Now he points to the record of their lives, to the defects of character, the unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer, to all the sins that he has tempted them to commit, and because of these he claims them as his subjects.
Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying: I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of My hands. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. And to the accuser of His people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” Zechariah 3:2. Christ will clothe His faithful ones with His own righteousness, that He may present them to His Father “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Ephesians 5:27. Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written: “They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.” Revelation 3:4.
Thus will be realized the complete fulfillment of the new-covenant promise: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found.” Jeremiah 31:34; 50:20. “In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 4:2, 3.
The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the things written in the books, it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated. But the apostle Peter distinctly states that the sins of believers will be blotted out “when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ.” Acts 3:19, 20. When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and His reward will be with Him to give to every man as his work shall be.
In the typical service the high priest, having made the atonement for Israel, came forth and blessed the congregation. So Christ, at the close of His work as mediator, will appear, “without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28), to bless His waiting people with eternal life. As the priest, in removing the sins from the sanctuary, confessed them upon the head of the scapegoat, so Christ will place all these sins upon Satan, the originator and instigator of sin. The scapegoat, bearing the sins of Israel, was sent away “unto a land not inhabited” (Leviticus 16:22); so Satan, bearing the guilt of all the sins which he has caused God’s people to commit, will be for a thousand years confined to the earth, which will then be desolate, without inhabitant, and he will at last suffer the full penalty of sin in the fires that shall destroy all the wicked. Thus the great plan of redemption will reach its accomplishment in the final eradication of sin and the deliverance of all who have been willing to renounce evil.At the time appointed for the judgment—the close of the 2300 days, in 1844—began the work of investigation and blotting out of sins. All who have ever taken upon themselves the name of Christ must pass its searching scrutiny. Both the living and the dead are to be judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner in the day of God. He may have committed his evil deeds in the light of day or in the darkness of night; but they were open and manifest before Him with whom we have to do. Angels of God witnessed each sin and registered it in the unerring records. Sin may be concealed, denied, covered up from father, mother, wife, children, and associates; no one but the guilty actors may cherish the least suspicion of the wrong; but it is laid bare before the intelligences of heaven. The darkness of the darkest night, the secrecy of all deceptive arts, is not sufficient to veil one thought from the knowledge of the Eternal. God has an exact record of every unjust account and every unfair dealing. He is not deceived by appearances of piety. He makes no mistakes in His estimation of character. Men may be deceived by those who are corrupt in heart, but God pierces all disguises and reads the inner life.

You said:
So while there is need of cleansing the earthly sanctuary from backsliders and hypocrites,there is need of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sinner's names in its books.And the proper term for such a work is Investigative Judgment-the work portrayed in Daniel's prophecy (Dan.7:9,10)and in Christ's parable of the harvest,net,talents,wedding garment,and the goats and the sheep.
That is not God’s main concern to blot out names in the Books for whom Christ died. The cleansing will be of sin in the penitent believer
Christ is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sins of the people, and it is the work of all who are laborers together with God to be cleansing the sanctuary of the soul from everything that is offensive to Him. Everything like evil surmising, envy, jealousy, enmity, and hatred, will be put away, for such things grieve the Holy Spirit of God and put Christ to an open shame. Love of self will not exist, nor will any engaged in this work be puffed up. The example of Christ's life, the consistency of his character, will make his influence far-reaching. He will be a living epistle, known and read of all men.--Ms. 15, 1886, pp. 2, 3. ("Christian Integrity in the Ministry," n.d.)
He is cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. Let us enter there by faith. Provision has been made for our cleansing. A fountain has been opened for sin and uncleanness. Ask in faith for the grace of God, and you will not ask in vain. {RH, May 28, 1889 par. 11}
Shall we wait till we feel that we are cleansed before we believe it?--No; Christ has promised that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." It will not hurt your dignity to confess your sins. Away with this false dignity,. Fall on the Rock and be broken, and then Christ will give you the true and heavenly dignity. {RH, May 28, 1889 par. 12}
You also said:
.By substituting a pagan priesthood for the priesthood of Christ,and unconverted pagans for the host of God,also by introducing a pagan festal day in place of God's Sabbath,not only both the heavenly and the earthly sanctuaries but also the doctrines were polluted.So while the two sanctuaries are being cleansed from sinners,Bible Truth is being winnowed from man's theories and ideas.
The heavenly sanctuary CANNOT be polluted there is no sin there! Jesus is there making atonement for us. Again, the main theme of cleansing the temple, is the cleansing of sin, not sinners!

Alexandria you are right. When Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, it must be noted that the veil of the temple separating the holy place and the most holy was rent in two, exposing the most holy place to the view of the worshipers. (Matthew 27:51)

Prior to that, it was ordained by God that only the high priest could enter the most holy place once a year, on the "Day of Atonement" and only after the high priest had done the preliminary rituals that God said should be done, or else, the high priest or any one who dared to peep in or enter it would die. (Leviticus 16)

The rending of the veil separating the holy and most holy places signified that first, the type or the sacrifices and burnt offerings met their fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, the antitype. Second, that since type met antitype, the functions, uses, and significance of the earthly sanctuary, together with the rituals, feasts and others connected to it, had ceased, so that even if the temple was destroyed by the Roman soldiers some forty years after, it had no lost its significance prior to that, except for the fact that the abomination of desolation foretold by Lord Jesus met its fulfillment at that time.

How then is the heavenly polluted and what pollutes it?

To understand this, we should look at the Hebrew sanctuary which is the pattern of the heavenly things. In this regard, we must remember two things: first, only the sins of the Israelites and those strangers who had joined Israel were to be transferred to the sanctuary. Second, Only those things confessed and an offering given were symbolically transferred to the sanctuary by the blood of the victim which was offered, on whose head the sins of the repentant person were confessed before being slain. (Read Leviticus 1 - 7)

So we see that the sins of the people of Israel and those strangers who had joined with them were the ones transferred to the sanctuary and thus polluted it.

During the Day of Atonement, (Leviticus 23:27 - 32) those sins symbolically transferred to the sanctuary, daily, by confession of the repentant sinner are the ones cleansed or removed from the sanctuary. Those sins not confessed therefore were not transferred to the sanctuary, so that during that day were not included among those that were removed from the sanctuary.

What about now? Since there is no Hebrew sanctuary in existence and that its function had already terminated at the death of Jesus at the cross, there is only one sanctuary that could be polluted by the sins of the people of God by virtue of their being transferred by the blood of Jesus through confession of those sins. That is the sanctuary in heaven. We know that there is a sanctuary in heaven because it was after it that the Hebrew sanctuary was patterned. Exodus 25:8. It was what John saw in Rev 1:12, 13; 11:19

Isaiah 65:6, 7 say that the Lord has our sins written in His books. It is this book that was opened with the others: the book of life (Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8;17:8; etc) which contains the names of those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior and had entered into His service; and of course the book of remembrance, which contains the good deeds done by His children. Malachi 3:16.

When a person confesses and repents of the sin he or she committed, the sin is forgiven, with "pardoned" entered opposite it. Those sins not confessed will remain in the book of record and will be the cause of the loss of the person concerned.

The Day of Atonement is actually a day of judgment. Read any Jewish literature regarding it and you find that that day is such.

It is the type of the judgment that was announced at the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14, that is in 1844, when the Millerites proclaimed Revelation 14:6, 7. It is the fulfillment of the setting of the judgment and the opening of the books recorded in Daniel 7:7, 10, 22. When the judgment ends, then there will be no more chance for anybody who has not repented of his sin(s) and for those who have not accepted the blood of Jesus to save them from their sins.

It goes without saying that only those sins which were confessed and repented of will be removed from the book of record of sins. The sins which are not blotted out will be witnesses against the person(s) who did them in the day of executive judgment when the wicked will be burned with hell fire, after the 1000 years of Rev 20, when the earth and the whole universe will be cleansed of all the sins, together with the evil angels, and the instigator of sin - Satan.

There are two sides to this question about pollution in the sanctuary in heaven. Symbolically, yes, but literally, no!
Let us take an illustration. For instance a new strain of virus is found in the Philippines and caused an outbreak of epidemic.
Reports were send to the US complete with names of persons affected, symptoms, medications and treatments given, recovery and casualties, everything in detail sent through the internet. Then doctors in USA studied it and came with a sullution to eradicate the epidemic completely.
Can we say that USA is also polluted? Of course no.
So with the Sanctuary in heaven. It is not literally affected by the virus of sin. It was this earth which was polluted and must be cleansed and purged completely.
In heaven there was not a single virus transferred from the earth.
No earthly flesh can inherit heaven , remember.
So the reports and solutions were worked out in heaven but it do not literally polluted the sanctuary up there at all.
It was only cleansed by remote, although the solution is real in the form of Jesus' sacrifice and act of mediation.
Yes, names of sinners and sinners pardoned are in the books of heaven, but they in no way pollute a single inch of heaven because they are transferred by means more sophisticated than man-made internet transfers. No virus of any kind enter heaven in the process.
I hope that is clear.
God be praised.

As an aid to determining what event in connection with the heavenly sanctuary is here referred to, it is helpful to examine the services of the earthly sanctuary, for the priests in the earthly sanctuary served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5). The services in the wilderness tabernacle and in the Temple consisted of two main divisions, the daily and the yearly. Christ’s daily ministration as our high priest was typified in the daily services. The annual Day of Atonement typified a work that Christ would undertake at the close of the age. For a detailed discussion of these two phases of service see on Lev. 1:16; see also GC 418–432. The prophecy of Dan. 8:14 announces the time for the beginning of this special work. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary comprehends the entire work of final judgment, beginning with the investigative phase and ending with the executive phase, which results in the permanent eradication of sin from the universe."